The D80. Ergonomics are far better than any camera, great sensor, and the Nikon will definitely outperform the 400D or any other camera brands equivalent. I'd take a look at the 24-120 AF-S VR for the D80. Great medium telephoto lens with the added bonus of VR.
Hey buddy, Have you considered to buy an Olympus camera?. I bet every nikon and canon fanatic to this site would say I am crazy, Olympus is not even an option when you want to buy an SLR, but trust me, I have seen thousand of entry level camera reviews and bought Olympus E-VOLT E_500 and Canon Rebel xTi and i can tell you Olympus EVOLT E-510 is right now the best entry level DSLR camera to the market. (It won an EISA award as the best European consumer camera 2007-2008) I t has a lot of innovations like a patented (and the only useful) dust reduction system that cleans the sensor, Built in camera Image Stabilization (so you dont have to pay for this function every time you buy a nikon or canon lens) and Live View screen mode. I told you I own an Olympus E-500 (the previous model) and i have not seen better display on any canon or nikon at any price and this is very useful when you take pictures in outdoors. Finally this is a very user friendly cam (and olympus has another prize for the highest customer satisfaction in cameras at this pice). I just can tell you I started using mine without even reading the manual. I can not deny Canon and Nikon have the best cameras for over 1,500 bucks, but if you want to buy the very best entry level camera for less than 1,000 USD you can not go wrong with Olympus EVOLT E-510. the only little issue is the CCD to this camera is smaller than APS sized canon and nikon, but if you see it as an advantage you will have a 28-84 and a 80-300mm lenses (as 35mm equivalent for the 14-42 and 40-150mm). It means the camera has a 2x conversion factor versus 1,5 or 1,6 in nikon and canon cameras. If you buy this with two lens kit for about 900 USD the package. I HAVE SAID
What you're doing with the SLR should help you decide - all of the cameras mentioned so far will suffice as a first DSLR.
I have owned many cameras over the years, including, Pentax, Minolta, Olympus, Fuji and Nikon and have to say that the two Nikons a D80 and an FM2 are superb cameras. One of the best things about them is the viewfinder - they are very large and clear and really help when composing an image.
For a first camera though, I would suggest the Pentax DSLR - their K1000 film camera was considered an essential piece of equipment at photography schools the world over.
They're not the fanciest, but they're reasonably priced and once you've mastered it - you will know what you really like and dislike in a DSLR and wil know better for next time. Also you will have saved money for a decent lens which is far more important!
@ Charlie. I appreciate what you say about saving some money and going for the Olympus. I've spent the last few weeks looking at cameras in this price point on dpreview and the K10D is on the short list.
One thing bending me towards the Nikon / Canon is that one day I may upgrade to a more powerful SLR and I'd like to bring my lenses with me. The D200 won't stay above 1,000 forever. Am I doing the right thing in planning for that day? I hope so.
The Canon 30D can be had for Under $1,000 for the body, and will blow the socks off any of this entry level equipment. I would stay with Canon and Nikon because of their lens quality availability. While there are some good 3rd party lens crafters, Nikon and Canon are both clearly superior. My personal view is that Canon has a slight up on the longer/faster lenses. You'll be happy with either brand.
I'm not a fan of the 350 or 400D as the body is just too small to comfortably fit in my hands. YMMV.
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The D80. Ergonomics are far better than any camera, great sensor, and the Nikon will definitely outperform the 400D or any other camera brands equivalent. I'd take a look at the 24-120 AF-S VR for the D80. Great medium telephoto lens with the added bonus of VR.
Hey buddy, Have you considered to buy an Olympus camera?. I bet every nikon and canon fanatic to this site would say I am crazy, Olympus is not even an option when you want to buy an SLR, but trust me, I have seen thousand of entry level camera reviews and bought Olympus E-VOLT E_500 and Canon Rebel xTi and i can tell you Olympus EVOLT E-510 is right now the best entry level DSLR camera to the market. (It won an EISA award as the best European consumer camera 2007-2008) I t has a lot of innovations like a patented (and the only useful) dust reduction system that cleans the sensor, Built in camera Image Stabilization (so you dont have to pay for this function every time you buy a nikon or canon lens) and Live View screen mode. I told you I own an Olympus E-500 (the previous model) and i have not seen better display on any canon or nikon at any price and this is very useful when you take pictures in outdoors. Finally this is a very user friendly cam (and olympus has another prize for the highest customer satisfaction in cameras at this pice). I just can tell you I started using mine without even reading the manual. I can not deny Canon and Nikon have the best cameras for over 1,500 bucks, but if you want to buy the very best entry level camera for less than 1,000 USD you can not go wrong with Olympus EVOLT E-510. the only little issue is the CCD to this camera is smaller than APS sized canon and nikon, but if you see it as an advantage you will have a 28-84 and a 80-300mm lenses (as 35mm equivalent for the 14-42 and 40-150mm). It means the camera has a 2x conversion factor versus 1,5 or 1,6 in nikon and canon cameras. If you buy this with two lens kit for about 900 USD the package. I HAVE SAID
Hi,
What you're doing with the SLR should help you decide - all of the cameras mentioned so far will suffice as a first DSLR.
I have owned many cameras over the years, including, Pentax, Minolta, Olympus, Fuji and Nikon and have to say that the two Nikons a D80 and an FM2 are superb cameras. One of the best things about them is the viewfinder - they are very large and clear and really help when composing an image.
For a first camera though, I would suggest the Pentax DSLR - their K1000 film camera was considered an essential piece of equipment at photography schools the world over.
They're not the fanciest, but they're reasonably priced and once you've mastered it - you will know what you really like and dislike in a DSLR and wil know better for next time. Also you will have saved money for a decent lens which is far more important!
Regards,
Spencer.
@ Charlie. I appreciate what you say about saving some money and going for the Olympus. I've spent the last few weeks looking at cameras in this price point on dpreview and the K10D is on the short list.
One thing bending me towards the Nikon / Canon is that one day I may upgrade to a more powerful SLR and I'd like to bring my lenses with me. The D200 won't stay above 1,000 forever. Am I doing the right thing in planning for that day? I hope so.
The Canon 30D can be had for Under $1,000 for the body, and will blow the socks off any of this entry level equipment. I would stay with Canon and Nikon because of their lens quality availability. While there are some good 3rd party lens crafters, Nikon and Canon are both clearly superior. My personal view is that Canon has a slight up on the longer/faster lenses. You'll be happy with either brand.
I'm not a fan of the 350 or 400D as the body is just too small to comfortably fit in my hands. YMMV.